Better Than That
by iris2489
Summary: What was the infamous prank that earned Lily Evans her first detention and finally gave James Potter the girl? And how does a lawnmower, fabric softener, and pudding fit in? The event which paved the way to Snow Angels. A long oneshot.


17/07/2007 20:38:00

**A/N**: Surprise! I'm alive!!!

**Summary**: What was the infamous prank that earned Lily Evans her first detention and finally gave James Potter the girl? And how does a lawnmower, fabric softener, and pudding fit in? The event which paved the way to Snow Angels. A long oneshot.

**Disclaimer**: Everybody was Kung Fu fighting… HI YA! Those cats were fast as lightning! … Yeah right.

**Better Than That: A Prequel**

The corridors stood silent and cold as the reflection from the crescent moon shone through the tall, encompassing glass panes of the gothic windows. Dim shadows danced along the walls, twirling and whispering secrets kept hidden within the night's dark cloak. A cool wind swam through the empty hallways, carrying long forgotten dust and mold making the air musky and damp. It swirled and dipped, careening through the…

"AAAACHOOOO!"

"Padfoot, will you shut your bloody trap and stay quiet for once! For the love of Merlin!"

"I can't help my allergies, Prongs. This damn castle is filled with the grimiest shite you've ever heard of. I swear, old Filch is a worse caretaker than my ruddy mum."

James Potter muffled an incredulous snort as he shuffled silently underneath his invisibility cloak. He imagined Mrs. Black and Filch in the same room together, each holding a large feather duster in one hand. His best friend never ceased to amuse him.

The two dark haired marauders crept through the looming hallways of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with careless ease; each carrying various objects towards the Great Hall where their "abso-bloody-lutely brilliant" prank would take effect early the next morning at breakfast.

"Moony has the lawnmower set up in the back closet, right?" Sirius whispered excitedly to James as they crouched down, letting the Bloody Baron float obliviously above them.

"That's what he's doing right now, mate," James reminded Sirius for the umpteenth time. "He was doing it five minutes ago too when you asked me then." For someone named for a star, his friend could be a bit dim at times.

"I know, I know," Sirius acknowledged exasperatedly. He blew a stray lock of his ebony hair out of his eye and heaved a deep sigh. "I just want everything to run smoothly. It's the marauders' first prank of the year, Jimmy! What with Petey being all mysterious and menstrual lately and the full moon our second week of school and you trying to be all responsible and head boyish to get into Evans' knickers—"

"I have not been trying to get into Lily's knickers!" James exclaimed rather loudly, momentarily forgetting they were not supposed to be out at this time of night. He continued in a softer, more controlled voice, "I've just been trying to show her that I'm not the irresponsible, big-headed prat she always unjustly pegged me for. I want to prove that Dumbledore made me Head Boy for a reason and I am fully qualified for the position."

Sirius gave James a dubious look and clicked his tongue skeptically. James ran his hand through his disheveled hair and chuckled silently to himself.

"Alright, alright. So I wouldn't exactly object to an offer of getting into her knickers…"  
James' obvious confession was cut short when the sound of urgent footsteps began to echo across the marble floor.

"Someone's coming," Sirius whispered with excitement laced in his voice. He loved James' family heirloom at times like these. He could really mess with someone when he was invisible.

"Thanks for pointing it out, Sirius," James muttered beneath his breath. He shifted the final component of their prank underneath his right arm nervously as he thought of the consequences of being caught as Head Boy. He would get canned for sure. And there goes the possibility of accidentally walking into the Head Girl's bathroom instead of the Head Boy's when Lily might just be conveniently getting out of the shower…

"C'mon Prongs, you can wank off later. Let's hide behind the tapestry there." Sirius cut into James' rather nice fantasy by pointing towards the huge depiction of Helga Hufflepuff and Rowena Ravenclaw playing wizards' chess with one another as Godric and Salazar looked on from the sidelines. James silently shuffled his feet behind his friend's loping gait and maneuvered himself behind it so he and Sirius could fit comfortably without making it seem like there were people behind it.

The footsteps grew nearer still and James couldn't help notice the distinctly familiar tempo and they way they resounded against the floor. He sensed a slight smell of peppermint and vanilla which sent his head reeling. He barely noticed the maniacal glint in Sirius' dark eyes as he covertly began to unscrew the top of the fabric softener that they swiped from the house elves as a last minute idea when they were in the kitchens earlier retrieving their final ingredient for the prank.

The clanking of footsteps stopped suddenly, parallel to the boys' hiding place. James' breathing started to become labored as his suspicions grew even more plausible. After all, wasn't this side of the castle part of her assigned nightly rounds?

"Lumos," the whispered voice of a hotheaded angel broke through the thick air and James had to close his eyes in horror as his worst fear came true.

He should've known Lily would suspect him.

He should've known the moment he told her that he couldn't perform his rounds that night because he came down with a nasty cold. He should've seen the suspicion alight in her bright green eyes. He should've noticed the way she scrutinized each of his words so carefully as though she could tell whether he was lying or not.

He should've stopped trying to figure out the quickest ways to get her out of her robes while he gave her his lame excuse.

James tiredly took his glasses off his face and wearily wiped his eyes. This was just his luck. He just had to be followed by the love of his life, the star of his dreams, and the light in his day. Just when he was beginning to convince her that he was a decent bloke, his glorious friend Sirius just had to drag him into this crazy prank. Sirius and his bloody ridiculous ideas. Sirius and his…

James whipped his glasses back onto his face like lightning and looked at the empty space next to him where his fellow marauder once stood. He silently and frantically tried to catch sight of his dimwitted friend when the Head Girl's voice distracted him from his search.

"Hello? Is anyone there? Honestly, I already heard your voices so you might as well come out now. You'll be in less trouble that way at least. Maybe only a week's detention instead of a month? And I can make sure you won't have to serve it with Filch or anything like that."

James couldn't help but smile admiringly at his flower's words. She was such a responsible and cajoling witch! He always admired her strength and cunning and ability to take charge. He loved the way her face would light up with passion whenever she got into an argument and couldn't help imagine her face light up with a slightly different kind of passion…

"AHHH!"

James jumped from behind the safety of his invisibility cloak and the large tapestry when a shriek erupted from Lily's lips that did not sound quite as pleasurable as the one he was imagining. He looked in absolute incredulity and dread as the thick and fragrant fabric softener crept through Lily's rusted auburn hair and down her pale, freckled face. He unconsciously noticed his "partner in crime" with a wide grin adorning his diabolical and handsome face with his wand raised above his head in triumph as the bottle of fabric softener shook upside down, suspended over Lily's head.

James was frozen in front of the fuming girl as he helplessly watched the detergent seep into the top of her otherwise impeccable robes. He knew that he only had a few moments before she exploded before him, so he took those sacred seconds to admire the way her robe deliciously stretched as she breathed heavily in shock, disgust, and anger.

James knew that there were some things in this world worth risking dying a gruesome and terrible death for.

The sight before him was certainly one of them.

"Potter," Lily shakily said as another drop of the fabric softener slid down the side of her face over her now pink and fuming ears. Lily stole a deep, calming breath and in a slightly stronger and controlled voice questioned, "Would you care to explain to me what is going on here tonight?"

James nervously swept his hand through his hair and looked at the slimy girl in front of him with great trepidation. Usually, Lily would blow up, tell him what a hopeless prat he was, and then stomp off in a mixture of fury and frustration. This cool and rational reaction was not what he was expecting at all. He didn't exactly know how to approach the situation.

"Well, Evans," James managed in a rather strangled voice. He uncomfortably cleared his throat and nervously glanced at his still grinning friend for any kind of assistance. Just as he thought, none was given to him and he could practically hear Sirius panting in excitement with his wand still outstretched.

"It's actually a funny story," James continued in a stronger voice than before. Lily shifted her weight from one foot to the other and cocked her head slightly to the side.

"Oh please, Potter. I could really use a good laugh right now. Please enlighten me with your… enthralling, I'm sure, story."

Why, if James didn't know better, he would think that Lily was using a bit of sarcasm at the end of that sentence. Thankfully, he had the intelligence and sense to ignore such an inclination in her voice and grant her the story that would lighten the mood and perhaps give her the idea to have him help her get out of those unfortunately soiled clothes.

"Well, you see Evans, I was practically dying of my terrible, awful, mind-numbingly painful sickness. You saw me; death was banging at my door."

James decided to ignore the snort coming from the redhead in front of him and continued on in a voice as dramatic as he could make it.

"But then I thought of you all alone and scared roaming these treacherous corridors at night and I decided to come find you so we could fight off any unwanted wanderers together and I could escort you back to our humble Head student lodgings. I ran the whole way here but now I see that not even my brush with death could save you from this heinous fate. Let me help you clean up…"

"Scourgify," Lily suddenly whipped out her own wand and cleaned herself before she swiftly turned to Sirius and disarmed him of his wand. She sharply looked back to the gaping James and also took his shock as the perfect opportunity to disarm him as well. She stood between the two stunned boys with a bit of a smug grin plastered against her white skin.

For James to honestly think she would let him get away with this.

Sirius was the first to recover from the shock of having Lily act so quickly and an immediate sour pout graced his sculpted face.

"Aw, Evans, c'mon. We were just having a nice moonlit stroll here and you had to go and ruin it with your carelessness. You really should watch out for floating bottles hanging overhead. And should certainly never go towards unfamiliar voices. You were lucky it was the charming marauders instead of some slimy Slytherin scum who may not have been so kind to such a respectable Head Girl as yourself. As Jimmy-poo said, he risked his own life to ensure your safety tonight. Don't you think he should get a bit of a kiss for his trouble?"

Sirius batted his eyelashes coquettishly at Lily who stood before him utterly speechless at the absurdity that was Sirius Black. She didn't see James slap himself hard on the forehead and crouch down to the floor in embarrassment and incredulity. He really was not helping matters much.

"Black, you poor and moronic fool, I could tell it was you and Potter in the corridor the moment that blasted sneeze of yours very nearly woke up the entire castle. I'm surprised Filch hasn't shown up yet."

James just continued to shake his head in horror.

Sirius, however, jumped right back into his story of heroism.

"Well of course I sneezed, Petals. I was merely protecting the future mother of my godchildren from traipsing into dangerous territory at this atrocious time of night. Why if I didn't know better, Lillers, I would say you are not thankful for the extremely selfless acts of the young men who stand before you tonight! How highly rude and ungrateful! Why I should just—"

With a quick flick of her wrist, Lily silenced Sirius' tirade and rolled her eyes towards the ceiling. She chanced a look at James and couldn't help notice how sweet and lost he looked alone, crouched low towards the cold floor with his mop of a head cradled in his large, strong, and capable hands. Hands that probably knew how to hold things with just the right amount of force and pressure to ensure their security and warmth. Hands that could probably perform some magic of their own without any help from a wand.

Lily quickly shook these less than welcome thoughts from her head as she attempted to focus on the situation at hand. Those not-so-hateful and surely-not-at-all-platonic images kept stealing themselves into her head ever since the beginning of the term and it was truly beginning to get on her last nerve. This was James the prattish Potter. Not some teenage lustful piece of meat. Though sometimes, when he would be flying on his broom when he didn't think anyone was watching and the sun would light up his face just so and he would look so happy and serene and hopeful, she couldn't help imagine that maybe he would be a tasty morsel of something…

"Lily? Lily? C'mon Evans, I know your pissed but you don't have to completely ignore me."

The morsel image disappeared from Lily's mind as the boy she deemed "lost" stood right before her with more confidence and cocky arrogance than ever before. How dare he speak to her like she was some kind of child!

"Listen Potter, first of all, you lied to me. And I hate liars. Secondly, you and your maraudering fool of a mate are suspiciously creeping around the school's corridors conveniently close to the Great Hall after hours and I don't like what that equation could add up to. Thirdly, and most importantly, I can still feel fabric softener in my hair and I smell like laundry!"

James took a bold step towards the fuming witch before him and took an even bolder sniff close to her rosy cheek. Lily's breath caught unexpectantly at the sudden close proximity of James and she stoically stood, planted to the spot, almost too scared to breathe too loudly.

"Firstly," James started as he took a small step back from the immobile witch, "I only lied to you so you wouldn't have to deal with the extra pain of Sirius back there. So I thought I was doing you a favor. Secondly, yes, dimwit and me are creeping along suspiciously close to the Great Hall, but my intentions are purely aimed towards the well being of the student body. And thirdly, and most importantly," James took another step closer to Lily and took an even longer and tantalizingly close sniff of her auburn locks which were beginning to curl out from her low ponytail.

"I happen to think laundry smells absolutely lovely."

Lily's chest began to rise and fall rather erratically and her eyes blinked quickly in succession. It reminded James of an elusive butterfly as it fervently flapped its wings as it flew away.

The duo couldn't see Sirius behind them, feigning a dramatic swoon as he fell to the floor, silently gagging on the repulsive change of mood in the room.

"Uh, ehm…" Lily nervously cleared her throat as she wondered why she never really noticed the way James's eyes sparkled behind his thin-framed glasses.

"Thank you, Potter."

"You're very welcome, Evans."

Silence enveloped the hall, despite the frenetic movements of the shaggy haired boy who was banging his head against the cold, stone wall of the ancient corridor in disgust.

"You're standing a bit close, don't you think Ja—Potter," Lily managed in a half-whisper, half-croak.

One corner of James' mouth quirked in amusement and he titled his head slightly to the side, letting his hair messily flow over his right eye. Rather rakishly, in fact.

A fact that Lily could not help but unfortunately notice.

"Y'know, Lily," James began in an all-too confident voice for Lily's taste. "It's not a crime to call me by my first name. I don't think it would really hurt you at all."

A familiar glow began to burn beneath the witch's emerald eyes at the teasing tone of James' voice and she stubbornly straightened her back and rolled her slim shoulders back.

"I am well aware of that fact… _James_," she emphasized scathingly, sarcasm dripping with each word. "I just choose not to taint my mouth with things that set off my natural gag reflex."

Now both sides of James' mouth curled in a definite smirk filled with mirth and affection. He thoughtfully bit his bottom lip in an attempt to hold off the impending laughter which threatened to spill from his mouth.

This far too adorable mannerism, however, just succeeded in incensing Lily further.

"And I do not recall, Potter, ever giving you permission to use my first name when addressing me. You are not exactly deserving of that privilege."

And summing up every ounce of snobbish behavior she knew she must have inherited from Petunia, Lily Evans turned her nose up in distaste and took a forceful step back away from the infuriating young wizard.

"And what must one do to deserve such a privilege, Evans?" James asked lightly.

"First of all," Lily answered with her small nose still upturned, "one mustn't lie blatantly to my face and then deny it later on. That is highly unacceptable. And not to mention, rude and inconsiderate."

James shook his head in agreement and readily answered, "Alright, no lying. What else?"

The young wizard took a small step towards Lily as she said this, trying to regain the small distance they had with each other moments earlier. Her smell truly was intoxicating.

"One mustn't belittle others, either," Lily continued vigorously, refusing to lose her cool around the arrogant boy again. "Everyone is deserving of the same rights: wizard, squib, or muggle; Gryffindor or Slytherin."

James winced slightly at the last one as he took another inconspicuous step closer toward the elusive Head Girl. He noticed with slight amusement that she moved back a bit after he started to move forward.

"I think I can work on that," James mumbled rather reluctantly. "What else must one do?"

Lily narrowed her eyes at the messy haired wizard in front of her, suspiciously wondering just where this conversation was going.

"One must learn and practice humility, tolerance, responsibility, and maturity. He must prove that he is capable of handling things with sense and ability. That he won't just rush into anything without the proper thought and care needed to make a sound decision. He must follow his heart but also rely on his head. He must find a balance between arrogance and confidence."

James cast his eyes to the floor almost ashamedly. When he looked back up at the witch in front of him, his warm eyes shone with such conviction and determination that Lily could feel her breath unconsciously catch in her throat as she grabbed behind her for the wall to steady suddenly tremulous balance.

She failed to notice the lack of another dark haired marauder who once occupied that very same spot moments before.

"That sounds perfectly reasonable. Is there anything else, Evans?"

All that could be heard in the abandoned hallway was the shallow breathing of two teenagers on the brink of something new and scary and exciting. The tension heavily coated the air and wrapped around the Head students in a tight knot, leaving them immobile and still. They didn't know where to look but wanted to see everything at once. Something was going to happen. Something was finally going to change.

"One must respect me for me. Everything that I do and believe in and stand for. He cannot ostracize or belittle me. He may not agree with me on it, but he has to respect my own thoughts and feelings," Lily slowly whispered through barely parted lips. "That's the last one. That's the most important."

A chilling breeze rushed through the hall at that moment from some unknown place, blowing the rest of Lily's usually disciplined hair out of its constraints and falling into her frozen face.

James tentatively and carefully raised one hand to push back the unruly pieces out of her eyes and ended up brushing his calloused fingertips almost reverently over the porcelain shell of her cheek.

"That one is certainly not even close to being a problem," the marauder found himself whispering, scared to taint the moment's magic.

"Well then," Lily began at the same volume as James. "I suppose that's it… James."

The wizard's golden eyes widened in understanding and undeniable hope at those words and took one last step closer until they stood a mere breath away from each other. His fingertips pressed down a bit more urgently against the side of Lily's delicate face and he slowly nodded his head as it bent down closer until he stood eye-level with the witch.

"I suppose it is," James breathed in deeply. "Lily, Lily, Lily, I suppose it is."

Lily's face tilted up towards his looming features and she felt like the tide as the moon began to rise over the horizon; totally surrendering to its magic and lure. Her eyes began to flutter closed and she began to feel the soft brush of skin on skin when—

"WOOOO HOOOO! LOOK AT THIS BABY FLY!"

The Head Students jumped apart from one another as though lightning struck the millimeter of space that was left between their bodies. James looked on in absolute disbelief and annoyance as Sirius soared down the hall on top of the muggle lawnmower that Remus managed to get last July at his uncle's annual muggle auction. He could barely make out Moony in the distance racing after the loony contraption that was going to be the bang which was supposed to get their prank in motion for the following morning. James shook his head with visible disgust as his formerly silent best friend whooped and whistled as the large machine roared and sputtered against the cool stone of the floor. James chanced a look at Lily.

The bespectacled boy wasn't sure if he ever saw a red quite that color before. It contrasted horribly against the warm auburn of her hair and he wondered how such a terrible mix of colors could look so damn sexy.

Lily raised her wand—or was it James'? —and was about to stop the infernal machine when Sirius carelessly lifted his arm and leisurely leaned against the handles of the mower as he casually summoned the three wands which were in the witch's possession. Lily's mouth dropped open in irritable shock and her eyes widened to the size of a snitch.

"Sirius BLOODY Black!" Lily cursed loudly above the growling metal beast as Sirius smiled triumphantly at the irate Head Girl.

"Y'hear that Jim! Evans swore! I daresay her pure mouth is tainted! Perhaps you should lend her your excellent cleaning services…" With a lewd wink in James' horrified direction, Sirius swerved the lawnmower to an abrupt stop, the tires squealing against the smooth floor.

As the lawnmower continued to screech to a halt, Remus finally reached the James and Lily, huffing and puffing the entire way. James felt terrible for his friend, knowing that he was still recovering from the fatigue of the previous week's nightly activities. He bent down at the middle with his hands on his hips, taking long calculating breaths of air. His tired eyes looked up at the still shocked redhead and he gave a timid smile of greeting.

"'Lo Lily. Fancy meeting you here at this time of night, eh?"

Lily reached over towards her common study partner and straightened out his back. She clicked her tongue impatiently and ignored the offended look on James' face as she touched his friend's waist.

"Really, Remus. I expected this from those two blockheads. But you? I expected more from you, Mr. Lupin."

Remus shrugged sheepishly and offered a weak smile in repentance. The two former prefects shared a conspiratorial smile and then got back to the situation at hand.

"What happened, Moony?" James asked irritably, noticing the close proximity and ease of the two people in front of him. "One minute Sirius is unarmed and silent, the next he is racing down the corridor on top of a rampant lawnmower screaming like a first year at Halloween."

Remus smiled knowingly at James' apparent anger and took a generous step away from Lily. The marauder immediately lost the tension that began to grow in his shoulders and Remus chuckled silently to himself.

"Well, Prongs, I was in the Great Hall doing my marauder duty," Lily tried to cut in at this point, no doubt wishing to catch James and Sirius in their elaborate lie, but Remus continued on without missing a beat. "When Sirius walks in, frantic and silent. Let me tell you, it is a scary thing to see a silent Sirius. Soothing to the ears, yes, but scary all the same."

The three seventh year Gryffindors ignored the indignant snort from the lounging marauder who lay behind them, idly playing with his captive wands.

"I couldn't figure out what the matter was so I obviously undid Lily's rather strong Silencio. I then got an earful of how the entire plan is ruined and he will never get to experience the brilliance of this idea and what an absolute shame it is and so on and so forth. I blocked out most of it after awhile."

Lily and James both smirked at the same time at Remus' comment, but when they realized their simultaneous amusement, each of their cheeks gained a rosy glow.

"When I started to pay attention again, Sirius was babbling on about how not even the 'tightarsed Head Girl' was going to deny him his brilliance and how if he couldn't do it tomorrow morning, he sure as hell was going to go for a ride tonight. So that was about the time when he shoved me unceremoniously off the table I was sitting on, grabbed my wand, magically started that thing, and got it back here to you two. I tried to stop him but he was just too ruddy fast."

James and Lily both turned their heads in time to see Sirius boastfully puff out his chest and blow on his knuckles. James smiled sardonically at his friends, walked towards his fellow marauder, and proceeded to smack him on the back of his head.

"Ow, Prongs! What was that for!?"

Before James could answer, another smack could be heard in the hallways as Lily mimicked James' actions and also grabbed her stolen wand from Sirius' grasp.

"Aw, c'mon Evans. I was just having a bit of fun is all," Sirius whined as he rubbed the back of his head.

"No, Sirius, I beg to differ," Lily claimed as she rested her small hands against her hips. "You were only acting moronic and childish. But then again, why am I surprised? It's no different than you usually act."

Remus had to disguise his mirthful snort as a coughing fit as he saw the look of pure indignation on Sirius' face. James smiled good-naturedly and patted Sirius' back in a comforting gesture.

"Now Lily. Don't you think you may be a little harsh to poor, ickle Siripoo, here? After all, he can't help it. His brain just cannot function the way most seventeen year old brains work."

Sirius plastered a giant smirk of triumph on his face and stuck his tongue out at the red haired witch. Lily shook her head unbelievingly as she thought of the immense stupidity she witnessed so far that night and looked at James with one eyebrow daintily arched above the other.

"Is it a requirement to be partially brain dead to become a marauder, James? Because I'm starting to sense a bit of a pattern here."

James let out a bark of laughter and shook his head at the friendly quip. The Head students continued to smile at each other as Sirius sent Remus a confused look over the messy head of his best friend.

"Say Moonsies, is it just me or does it seem we missed something here?"

"I daresay for once you make a valid deduction, Padfoot. Since when do they refer to each other on a first name basis?"

Sirius' eyes suddenly lit up in excitement as he sent Remus a conspiratorial wink and snuck away from the still smiling pair, tip-toeing behind the large tapestry where the whole debacle began. Remus looked on with great trepidation, but his tired eyes held a glint of excitement.

Sirius silently re-entered the hallway unbeknown to the others in the room because he was under the safety of the highly handy invisibility cloak. He made his way over to Remus, ushered him inside with his trademark smirk in place, and together they approached the still oblivious pair.

"You still have a bit of hair in your face," James told Lily with a quiet smile on his face and he hesitantly reached out to brush it behind her ear.

"There y'go. Good as new."

Lily could feel her cheeks begin to warm with the sensation of James' rough fingers against her own smooth skin. The contrast was whisking her back into the stolen moment they shared earlier before Sirius…

"Wait a second. Where's Sirius?" Lily whipped her head from side to side, unable to believe that he could just disappear in front of them like that without neither she nor James noticing.

"And better yet," James added suspiciously, "Where did Moony run off to?"

They both looked behind the other's shoulders for any sign of movement but never thought to look above their heads.

Before either could say "Bertie Bott," the five-gallon bowl of smooth, creamy, delicious chocolate pudding descended upon the seventh years. It was a torrent of thick brown rain and seeped into every possible crevice of their bodies. For the second time that night, Lily screamed in absolute disgust as she watched the dessert slide down her cheek.

James was utterly speechless as he, too, watched the decadent dessert slip down Lily's face. If he thought fabric softener looked good on the redhead, he certainly had no idea what the effects of chocolate pudding could reek on his senses. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the way it tangled itself in her loose tendrils of hair and slid down to the bottom of her long neck. It began to slide down further and James followed its path, eager to reach the final destination…

"SIRIUS BLACK! I AM GOING TO SEND YOU TO OBLIVION AND BACK JUST SO THAT I CAN KILL YOU AGAIN!"

In a flash of red, Lily started running around the hallway with her arms outstretched, trying to get a hold of the mischievous wizard. James was struck speechless as he watched the witch frantically stomping around the corridor looking for his invisible best friends with determination lit in her eyes. He subconsciously licked his lips as he watched the splattered trail of pudding behind Lily's path and made a mental note to make another trip to the kitchens for the tasty treat. It was really a shame that his idiot friends had to put it to waste. Maybe next time he could bring Lily…

"Sirius, you had better show yourself this instant or so help me I will not be responsible for my actions!"

Lily finally slowed down and panted out her demand in anger and exhaustion. Pudding can really weigh a person down.

"You're never going to find them."  
James' voice pulled Lily from her tirade and she looked back at the calm boy with an incredulous tilt to her twitching lips.

"How can you be so calm about this, James? It's the middle of the night, we're all alone in a dark corridor, and we have pudding covering our bodies."

The roguish smirk, which began to break upon James' handsome face, caused Lily to groan in frustration. She took the bottom of her sweater and used it to wipe off her face. She could feel her blouse strain against the confines of her skirt as she stretched up to reach her face. She let out an impatient sigh and hastily untucked the starched white blouse out of the pleated skirt. After she was finished ridding herself of as much pudding as possible, Lily almost timidly chanced a look at the boy across from her.

She had to avert her eyes and hide the heat that crept up her neck when she saw James mimic her actions.

She began feel her breathing become more shallow when she caught herself staring at the hard planes of James' stomach and chest and the way his skin glowed and rippled in the moonlight. Unlike Lily, James did not wear a sweater and simply wore a thin Quidditch T-shirt. He took his glasses off of his messy face and gently rubbed his eyes with his shirt.

Lily heaved a deep sigh at the sight and hastily pulled her fingers through her hair as she took it out of its loose ponytail. Trying to shake the vision of a half-naked James out of her mind, the young witch shook out her wavy locks and tried to get some of the excess pudding out of it.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa there! Watch where you're shaking that pretty head of yours, eh?"

Lily looked up and her eyes widened as she saw how even more pudding was splattered on James' smiling face.

"Oh, James," Lily mournfully breathed out taking a step closer to the messy haired boy. "I am so sorry. Here, let me take some of that off."

She quickly took her sweater off her shoulders and brought the sleeve up to his cheek. She began to wipe at the splattered mess but her eyes widened in horror as she realized that she was simply smearing it even more across his face.

"Damn," the usually levelheaded witch muttered beneath her breath. She didn't dare look at James' face as she unceremoniously dropped the dirty sweater and brought her relatively clean hands back up to the golden-eyed marauder. She pushed back his hair carefully and gently, trying not to smear any more chocolate across his forehead. With her left hand she began to softly scrub at his face with her knuckles while her right hand held his misbehaving hair back. She tried to ignore his warm and sweet breath as it caressed her cheek making her feel dizzy and shaky. She could feel his eyes burn into her and was careful not to meet his piercing gaze.

She stopped breathing all together once she felt large hands envelop her left hand and still her movements.

"Lily," his voice was quiet and… soft? Tender? Lily still didn't dare exhale the air entrapped in her lungs. She just couldn't get a hold of herself and she hated how defenseless she felt.

"Lily," he whispered again, "you don't have to clean me up, you know."

She finally let out her breath and nodded her head as she closed her eyes. "Yes, yes I do James. You're a mess and it's partially my fault and it's my responsibility to get this all together and everything is out of control and I can't even find Sirius to make him clean this all up so I have to do it myself and I need to fix all of this now before things get even more crazy and look at us with pudding all over ourselves and we are Head Students no less—"

Her babbling rant was cut off by a chocolate finger covering her quivering lips. Her words immediately stopped at the sudden contact. As a nervous habit, Lily's tongue unconsciously jutted out to lick her lips, but ultimately caught a taste of James' long, calloused finger also.

She jerked back in embarrassment and couldn't understand the immediate tug she felt in her chest once their skin was no longer touching. James continued to stare at her with something swirling in his dizzying eyes, making Lily's entire skin feel feverish in the cool October night. She stared at the tips of her tan school shoes, now dappled with brown specks. She wondered how quickly the night turned on her. One minute she's the responsible, in-charge Head Girl, and the next…

She's practically melting from the intensity of James Potter's eyes.

She was so lost in thought, she didn't realize how the distance between her and her counterpart was slowly decreasing until she caught sight of his shoes parallel to her own. Lily kept her eyes trained on them and practiced her stubborn side by refusing to meet his stare which she knew was fixed on the top of her head.

James took a staggered breath and brought his slightly shaking hand to Lily's small chin. Everything seemed so small about her. His eyes roamed over the features that he spent time every day in class memorizing: her small ears, small nose, small lips… but her eyes. Her eyes were large and almond-shaped, demanding immediate attention to the mesmerizing glow of green ember. He slowly lifted her head up so that he could try and get an idea—any idea—of what she was thinking.

Lily had no choice but meet James' gaze and her chest involuntarily tightened with suppressed emotion once she saw the gentle tenderness of his stare. She frantically tried to clear her head in one last desperate attempt to regain control over herself before she succumbed to the soft warmth radiating off of the boy before her.

"You don't have to fix everything, Lily," James told the uncharacteristically silent witch before him. "Some things aren't made to be fixed or perfect."

He slowly brought one finger to her face and swept it down the contours of her supple cheek. He took his finger away and Lily could see a glob of pudding sitting on his rough skin.

"If you take the time to look," James continued, "you may find that the flaws are far sweeter than the flawless."

With the last word he spoke, James almost playfully licked the pudding off of his finger. Lily's mouth hung open in a slight 'o' and her eyes couldn't leave the thin line of James' mouth. She saw a faint trace of pudding clinging to the left corner of his lips and James' words continued to repeat over in her mind.

"_You don't have to fix everything…"_

"_Aren't made to be fixed or perfect…"_

"_Flaws are far sweeter…"_

"_Lily… Lily… Lily…"_

Her name sounded so sweet and warm on his lips. True, James did not hold all of her criteria for what someone of her acquaintance should be… but there was an undeniable saccharine charm he exuded which sent her into a fluttering mess.

No one could make Lily a mess other than James Potter. That had to count for something.

Lily was so deep in her revelation she didn't even know James was still talking.

"You should have seen your face, Lily, when you were chasing Sirius after he dumped the pudding on us. It was priceless. And when you screamed about not being responsible for your actions I almost pissed myself it was so bloody hilarious…"

So perhaps their quiet and tender moment was over, but the laughter sparkling in his eyes was just as endearing as the sincerity.

And that pudding was still on his lip.

Lily could feel some of her signature confidence and boldness beginning to grow within her again and she couldn't help the almost smug smile threatening to erupt on her face. She looked at James' earnest face and could not believe the certainty ringing in her mind that she was not making a mistake. That she was thinking clearer than she had in months—perhaps years!

"And then you were trying so hard to clean up the pudding you splattered on me with your hand instead of just picking up your wand which is still laying about two meters away and—"

"Potter."

James eyes widened a bit at the use of his surname. Lily's voice was suddenly more confident than it had been all night and James was not sure what that meant for him. He saw her eyes dancing in the light pouring from the windows with undeniable mischief and care.

"I thought," James tentatively began, "that we were going to start calling each other by or first names." James' eyes widened in apparent understanding and he quickly began interrogating the redhead.

"I didn't say something to offend you did I? Merlin, this is because of the pudding isn't it? I swear, Lily, we weren't going to do anything bad with it tomorrow. Just scare Sniv—Snape a bit with the lawnmower hovering above his head, making him try to run away from it but he would slip on the trail of fabric softener on the floor and fall into the pool of chocolate pudding we were going to set up. Honestly, Lily, it was all innocent fun and—"

"Potter," Lily firmly said again, silencing James' explanations. She reached up on her toes and took a strong hold of James' collar, bringing his face level to hers.

"Just shut up and let me fix one more thing."

Without any trace of hesitancy or fear, Lily brought her face closer still until she could comfortably stick out her tongue and clean off the remainder of the pudding which was still on James' unsuspecting lips. James stood, crouched down and frozen to the spot, never taking his unblinking eyes off of Lily's determined face. The sudden contact of each other's mouths sent both Head Students' minds into a sweet frenzy, enabling them to totally block out the exuberant yelps of excitement coming from an invisible source across the otherwise empty corridor.

After about ten seconds of simply trying to convince himself that Lily Evans—his Lily Evans—was voluntarily licking his lips and actually initiated the act, James felt his eyes begin to close in utter euphoria and his hands found their way to Lily's waist. He tilted his head slightly to the side to catch Lily's lips in an actual kiss, but she pulled away at the last minute with another mischievous glint in her eyes.

"You were right, James," Lily said smiling to the speechless boy. "Faults can be awfully sweet."

James' face broke out in a large smile which lit up his entire face. With an excited and elated shout of laughter, James took hold of Lily and lifted her straight off the ground, bringing her close to his body as he twirled her around in a sloppy version of the waltz. Lily could not help the giddy giggle that escaped her mouth and the ways her eyes shone admiringly at the boy in front of her.

James reluctantly put Lily down, but did not waste a moment before he buried his face in her warm, sweet neck. He began nuzzling the sensitive skin there, murmuring incoherent words and tickling Lily with his breath. The green-eyed witch threaded her fingers through James' uncontrollable ebony locks and could not contain the smile plastered across her face. The tension building within her was finally released and despite the millions of butterflies invading her stomach, Lily felt more calm and relaxed than she had in years.

"Tell me this is real," James mumbled into her skin. "Tell me I am not making this up in my masochistic head."

Lily laughed and shook her head. "No, Potter, you aren't making this up."

James removed himself from Lily's neck to raise an amused eyebrow at the witch. "Still Potter, eh? I thought we were far past that, Evans."

"We'll never be past that, James." Lily whispered, suddenly rather serious. "Never."

A soft smile broke out on the marauder's face as he slowly slid his hands rhythmically up and down her arms. They stood like that for a few minutes, simply staring at another while the night crashed in around them. They stood so close to each other, closer than James thought possible. They were breathing in each other, making the air thick and sultry. Their scents mingled, creating an intoxicating smell which engulfed their senses. Every touch felt electrically charged and every sound they made was delicate and melodic. It was all so new to them but it was as though this was where they were headed all along; like every step they took brought them here.

A rather dangerous smirk broke out on Lily's face and James' eyes suspiciously narrowed at the girl before him. His comforting ministrations stopped and he unconsciously grabbed the tops of her arms to keep her in place.

"It's getting a bit late. It's been an eventful night, hm? I am absolutely knackered. I think I had better get off to bed, now. You can handle clean-up, right Potter?"

James looked down at the crazy redhead in amazement and confusion. Just where did she think she was going off to?

"Just wait a sec here, Lils," James began but was cut off when the softest lips grazed his stubbly cheek.

"G'night, James. See you in the morning."

With a hidden smirk, Lily managed to untangle herself from the gaping wizard. She only hoped that James couldn't hear the pounding inside her chest as she brushed past him.

With the swiftness of a Seeker, James Potter turned around, grabbed hold of Lily's retreating waist and pulled her back towards him, flush against his body.

"You have got to be out of your mind, Evans, if you think that I would let you simply saunter out of here with that sorry peck on my cheek as your excuse for a goodnight kiss. Absolutely mental."

Without another moment's hesitation, James swept down and captured Lily's lips in a gentle yet searing kiss. Lily's heart stopped for the seven hundredth time that night. All she could feel was James. All she could see was James.

James' hands automatically tightened around the petite redhead in a possessive way so she could not escape again. He had waited too long for this moment and wouldn't let anything get in the way of him and Lily's soft kiss. Not even the fireworks going off inside of the hallway around them. It was just him and Lily. Nothing else. No one could ruin this moment—

"Mr. Potter! Miss Evans!! Explain yourselves immediately!"

Lily jumped back in absolute horror at the sudden sound of her Transfiguration professor's voice. Her mouth and eyes got even wider when she saw the oily and smug smile on Severus Snape's sharp face behind Professor McGonagall's stern stature. She could hear James' impatient sigh from behind her as he held her waist tightly against him.

"Pro-Professor!" Lily managed through lips that were still quivering in delight and fear. "How lovely it is to see you here. Tonight."

The thin line of McGonagall's mouth got even thinner and she narrowed her eyes at the two embracing students.

"Would either of you care to explain why Mr. Snape had to wake me up in the middle of the night to inform me that my two Head Students were traipsing around the school's corridors causing mischief and mayhem?"

James was absolutely disgusted as he saw the smirk on the ugly Slytherin's face broaden. He groaned out loud and inwardly cursed his best friend for getting him in this mess to begin with. He was about to give his professor an excuse when he felt the girl in his arms shake with apparent fear and anxiety. He tightened his grip on Lily's waist and began to trace soothing patters against her skin. He felt her body begin to relax and could not stop the immediate swell of pride and accomplishment he felt knowing that he was the reason for the tension release.

"Professor," James spoke up without another moment's hesitation. "It was all my fault and I practically tricked Lily into this whole mess. If anyone should be punished, it should be me, not her."

Lily's head quickly jerked back to look at the messy haired boy with incredulity glowing in her green eyes. With an undignified snort and slight shake of her head, she turned back towards McGonagall with rising courage.

"It is equally both of our faults and I take full responsibility for my actions," Lily said with a note of finality in her voice. James began to protest but the redhead cut him off, "And I most certainly do not need arrogant, irresponsible wizards trying to defend me from taking responsibility."

James rolled his eyes and heaved a deep sigh. He looked back at the Slytherin with pure disgust etched on his face and he snidely asked, "What are you doing here anyway, Snivvy? Did you hear a big noise that made you soil your little knickers? Did you run to the professor for protection?"

Snape's neck grew redder with each word and James could see him slightly shaking, his slick fingers inching towards the pocket of his robes where he stashed his wand.

"That's enough, Mr. Potter," McGonagall sternly interrupted the tense interlude between the rivals. "I won't be needing any further assistance, Mr. Snape. You may go back to your common room now. And I expect to see you tomorrow night in my office for detention."

Snape sputtered, "What! Why do I have to go to detention?! These are the culprits, the miscreants, the criminals! They should be punished!"

James' mouth began to curl in delight as he watched the oily-haired boy try to talk out of his punishment. He could swear that he heard a familiar snickering coming from behind him also…

"Oh, do stop being so melodramatic, Mr. Snape. You were out after hours and that means detention. I can assure you that Mr. Potter and Miss Evans will also be punished but they are in no way criminals for their actions. You may leave now." McGonagall delicately raised one of her eyebrows with a note of finality, waiting for the prefect to turn around.

Snape's shoulders sagged down as he sloppily wiped at his long, greasy nose. He trudged off towards the Slytherin common room, muttering curses about Gryffindor pride and bloody maraudering gits.

McGonagall tuned back to the guilty Head students and couldn't help the sigh that escaped her. She was always the unlucky one in these situations.

"Alright now, out with it. What exactly is going on?"

James and Lily looked at each other with wide eyes, unsure of how to proceed with their argument. James did not want Lily to get into trouble but he also didn't want to rat his best friend out. Lily just did not want to get into trouble.

"Well, Professor, it all started…"  
James was cut off again by a loud crash and cackle from behind him as he watched in absolute astonishment as Sirius rode down the hallway on the lawnmower, howling in raucous laughter.

"Mr. Black!"

The motor immediately died with the tone of the Transfiguration professor's voice. Sirius lazily turned his head to look at the three other people in the room and tilted his head to the side.

"Yes, professor? What is it?"

McGonagall rubbed her face in annoyance and exhaustion; unsurprised that Sirius Black was the cause of all this mess.

"No wonder," she muttered beneath her breath. She looked at the three Gryffindors before her and began to feel she was starting to get too old for this.

"Mr. Potter, Miss Evans, please clean up this mess and then retire to your separate rooms. You will each be serving detention with me tomorrow and that will be all. Understood?"

James and Lily immediately nodded their heads in approval and began their clean up. The professor could not help the soft smile which grew on her face as she saw James Potter timidly hand Lily Evans her wand off the floor. The slight smile gracing the redhead's face was enough for McGonagall to know that the inevitable had finally happened.

James Potter finally got the girl.

"Mr. Black, you will follow me please."

"Aw, c'mon Minnie," Sirius began to whine as he slumped behind his Head of House. "You aren't going to punish me that bad, are you?"

"Honestly Mr. Black, of all the hair-brained schemes you have come up with these past years—"

"This one proved to be highly effective. I applaud you, Sirius."

Sirius and McGonagall start at the sound of the sparkling eyed headmaster who suddenly appeared from behind a corner.

"Honestly, Dumbledore, always sneaking up on people like that! Nearly gave me a heart attack!" Sirius exclaimed.

Dumbledore chuckled softly and looked behind the dark haired seventh year to see his Head students slowly and carefully cleaning around each other, trying to disguise the smiles threatening to engulf their young faces.

"You said you could do it, Sirius, and you did. You finally got them together."

With a puffed out chest, Sirius smirked and gave a dramatic sigh. "Well, it's all in a day's work, Headmaster. The two idiots back there just needed the right amount of urging and… VOILA! Instant love."

"I do wish it were that easy in all cases," Dumbledore sagely stated. Professor McGonagall nodded her head in agreement and Sirius' demeanor suddenly became somber.

"I do too, sir. I do too."

The old professor shook himself out of the serious moment and clapped the boy jovially on the back. "Well, my good man, I do think I owe you a galleon or two. I did say it wouldn't happen until Halloween, did I not?"

"Yes you did sir!" Sirius answered, his cocky smirk back in place. "And you owe me five sickles, Minnie. I can't wait to tell Hagrid. Poor bloke didn't think it would happen till Christmas. He'll be owing me quite a lump sum."

"Well, Mr. Black," Dumbledore said as he placed a fatherly hand on Sirius' back. He began to lead him towards the Gryffindor common room with McGonagall slowly following behind. "We can discuss all the particulars of the bet in my office over the next week as you serve your detention."

"But Albus!" Sirius cried out, appalled. "It was for the good of the school! The good of the wizarding world! Bloody hell, I'd even say for the good of mankind! Those two belong together and it was my job to bring them together with whatever means necessary."

The wise man nodded his head and answered, "Yes, Sirius, and these means include a week of sorting out old papers and documents in my office. It won't be so bad. We'll have a lot to catch up on."

Sirius' groan could be heard echoing off the walls as they continued to move further away from the Head Boy and Girl. James thought he could hear a faint sound but brushed it off as his imagination. His mind was running too fast for him to think anyways.

"So," James began lamely, trying to break through the awkward silence which enveloped the pair once everyone left.

"So," Lily repeated, equally awkward and lame.

"So I guess this means," James continued, taking a tentative step towards the redhead. "That you may not exactly despise me as much as you always let on, eh?"

The sound of Lily's laughter filled James with this warm and pleasant feeling that he never wanted to lose.

"I guess you can say that Potter," Lily coyly responded, looking at the messy haired boy with laughter and affection.

"So if I were to, oh I don't know, say, ask you to Hogsmeade this weekend. You may not totally object?"

"Well, I don't know. 'You are the reason I was given my first ever detention. Though I guess I can really blame Sirius—"

"Yes!" James interrupted enthusiastically as he stepped even closer. "Blame Sirius! Blame the entire thing on Sirius! This whole thing was his fault and we wouldn't even be here if it weren't for him!"

A dangerous, mischievous glow began to burn behind Lily's green eyes and without a moment's warning, she hastily grabbed James' shirt and pulled him to her until they were once again flush against each other.

"Well in that case," the witch whispered against James' parted lips, "remind me to thank him later."

With one last smirk, Lily finally sealed the moment in a kiss that was neither sweet nor urgent. It wasn't soft or rough. It was firm and steady, holding them together as they were surrounded by the utter chaos of the night's events. It was something they could hold onto. Something to finally trust in. It was enough for them to believe that they couldn't lose now. They were too strong.

And as James trailed his lips down the side of Lily's neck and caught a faint smell of detergent in her hair and tasted a distant hint of chocolate on her skin, he couldn't help but silently send his many thanks to his git of a best mate for giving him this moment. After all, he had it made. Laundry, pudding, and Lily.

Life doesn't get much better than that.

**A/N**: Sorry to anyone who read this already. I posted the totally unedited version before so I wanted to repost this one. I also had the wrong title (it was my old, tentative one). Man, I was a mess.

Ok. So it got a bit sap festival at the end. But I couldn't help it. Thanks so much to all of you who took the time to read. It means the world to me. I am halfway done with the new chapter of _Snow Angels_ so, no. I did not abandon it. I do plan on finishing it… eventually. As all of you know, growing up kind of sucks every free moment you have away until you barely have time to sleep anymore. But I guess all the HP excitement of the week inspired me to come up with this.

Before I say anything else, this was barely edited. I was just so excited that I finally finished something that I cannot be bothered with editing. So I apologize for the grammar and spelling mistakes there are. It was not intentional.

In the first chapter of _Snow Angels_, I mentioned how the pair got together thanks to a lawnmower, fabric softener, and pudding. Honestly, at the time I was writing it, I just put a load of laundry in the washing machine, my dad was cutting the grass, and I was just plain hungry for some pudding. So I didn't exactly have an idea of what happened with those things. But somehow this story just came out of NOWHERE and couldn't stop itself.

I cannot thank you enough for being so patient and wonderful while I kind of ran away from fanfiction for a while. I will finish _Snow Angels_. I promise. Maybe not this year (seeing as how I'm off to college a month and a half! Eek!) or even next, but I will finish it if it's the last thing I do.

I love you all and will respond to any questions you may have in your reviews. I'll actually just respond to all of your reviews because it's fun. But I hope everyone loves Book 7. I took Saturday off of work to read it. I may be freaking out a little.

Happy Sirius perving!

Katie


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